Guard-rail structure



July 8, 1930. A. ENSTROM GUARD RAIL STRUCTURE -Fi led Oct. 17, 1929 Patented July 8,1930: I

ce-m c; II'JLI- NOIs, ASSIGNOR" To PETTrBonE MuLLIkENI-CO AUGUST nus'mom, or

PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLI1\TOIS,ACORPORATEQN on DELAWARE hUARn-RML 's RUeTUR Application filed Octobe ifI 17, 1929; S erial iio. 400,296.

of iny objects i's to' provide a guard rail which shall be easy toin'stall and require less timefor installation than'guardrailsas structure.

1'0 "Another'objeotisto*prouidea guard rail or structure whichWill'eliminate the necessity avoid the use of bolts aiid fittings.

Anoth er object 'is' to provide a guard rail structure of silnplejconstruetion' and which Will beheld against'rotat'ion, or oanting, under the forcesto which it'issubj eoted in use.

01": boring holes in the main rail and Will, I I I I [at 13 are relatively thin, ompared with the height of the. body portion 10 of the guard A11o'ther objeot isto-proyidefor the ad-f" justlnent of the guard-rail rela'tiveto the main fromthe followin description; I I I I Be' nejt h 'w pa ylng d ew me 1 rail, and other objects aIs'Will be manifest j Figure 1 is a broken plan view of a main rail of arailway track with 'Whiohis asso ciated a guardrail embodying my lnventlon,

thejstruc tui'e shown oon'stitutinga guard rail r and main rail assembly.

I Figure 2 is a section taken at the line2 on Fig. l and viewed inthe direction of the ar-v row. 7

V Figure 3 isja section taken at the line 3 on Figjlandyiewed in the direction of the arrem d, a

Figure 4, a section taken at the line L on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the ar row.

'Re f erifing to] the partieula'r fassenibly showiitf represents one of the mam tails of e railway'traok end 6' a guardrail located along one side of the inaih rail, the ties an which these rails are supported bmg'repr at 7 C' rtain I the guard rail are'sho'ytn as provided with e pl te-s 8 i gP i f 151 5 3 63 2iild fli ties' 'F thihetvreen ar firoyided with plates to the tiesibefieath theiii by s'15ike' diiyii of the tie '7 between the aids; 9f

through openings-in opposite ends of the lates 8, and 9 and through ends'of the guard irai l a' s hereinafter described. 1

The guard rlail'6i Wh'cIh nay be formed of i a section of railway r'ailcom'pri'se s a body portion 10 which extends lengthwise of themain rail 5 and in spaced relation thereto as shown to accommodate the flanges of thewhe'els i trayeling over the track. The en portions of the body 10' of the guard rail diverge out;

. ardly in 'opposite'direo'tions' as shown at 11 and 12' and'its terminal portions 'i'epresented rail, and projeot laterally in the same directi'oi1s, 'l3. ofthe guard ,rail'being recessed at their upper-faces asreprfesented atl to free-V ceive Itheiniainrail 5 whioh thus iSj'seated' 'thereimthese recesses affording shoulders 15 which bear against the adjacent edge of the flange of the main raiL' the portions 13 be:

yond the inain rei'l' containing openings to reeeive. spikes, The guard rail at theside of the body portion thereof nexttothe main rail isunprovidedtwith a fiangeas noted,;in the case of the guard rail being made from a piece of railway rail this flange being removed, whereby the'guard rail may extend in the'desired close proximity to the main rail.

"In the construotion sho'wn', spacer means v are provided bet'W eeii the guard rail; and the main rail, the means Shawn in the drawings being of Well known Iooiistruetion and involvin}: channel wedge shaped spacers 16 held iii place by bolts 17 which pass through one of the legs of the spacer and through the Web of the guard rail. I

I Locatedbetyveeri the; spacer means 16 are rail emcee hereinbe'fore referred to, these rail 7 bfaees I comprising the pla e I 8 aiid Wedges 18. The p1 9 ere est-av edv the adjacent side of the guard rail 6. The inturned flanges which lap the wed e 18,

are engaged at their inclined portions by 9 adjacent the wedges 18 extend through the guard horizontal portions of the flanges 20 and the underlying portions of the plates and also through the ones of the series of openings 22 provided in the wedges 18 which register with the openings in the plates 9.

In the forming of the guard rail from a section of railway rail the ends of the rail are flattened and shaped to produce the portions 18 of the desired shape and size.-

The bracing means comprising the plates 9 and wedges 18 operate. to resist deflection of the'guard rail away from the main rail under the forces exerted against the guard rail when a train travels over the main rail.

7 In practice it is preferred that the guard rail be so shaped that when it is applied alongside a main rail and interlocked at its ends therewithas shown, but before applying the braces comprising the wedges 18, its body portionwill be spaced from the main rail a distance slightly greater than tne correct distance, the body portion of the guard rail being moved to the correctly g ed distance by deflecting it toward'the main rail by the applying of the wedges 18 to place, the absence 'of the flange at the inner side of the rail as above noted permitting the rail to be sprung as desired. hen readjustment of the body portion of the v guard rail relative to the main rail is desired, as

for example in case of wear of wheel-flangeengaging portions of the track structure, such readjustment may be readily made by re adjusting the'wedges 18 to further deflect the body portion of the guard rail toward he main rail.

It will be understood from the foregoing that a guard rail constructed in accordance with my invention may be readily and quickly installed in place and when installed it is firmly held against lateral displacement relative to the main rail, the particular construction shown providing for adjustment of the guard rail to compensate for wear of wheelllange-engaging portions of the track structu e. Furthermore, it is unnecessary to drill any holes in the main rail or to use any bolts or fittings as hitherto provided for securing the guard rail to the main rail.

The feature of lapping the guard rail by the main rail is of advantage as thereby forces tending to lift the guard rail or rotate it in a direction away from the main rail are effectively resisted, and the provision of the shoulders on the guard rail aid in preventing lateral displacement of the guard railbodily in a direction away from the main rail.

\Vhile I I have illustrated and described a particular construction embodying my invention, I do not Wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto as the same may be variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions extending beneath, andinterlocked with, said main rail, and means engaging said body portion and holding it in sprung condition relative to said main rail.

2. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions extending beneath, and interlocked with, said main rail, and adjustable means engaging said body portion and operating. by springing said body portion, to hold the latter in the desired spaced relation to said main rail.

3. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions projecting laterally therefrom and extending beneath said main rail, said body portion being sprung toward said main rail, and means holding said body portion in sprung condition.

1. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions projecting laterally therefrom and extending beneath said main rail, and adjustable means for springing said body portion toward said main rail and holding said body portion in said position.

5. In track construction, the combination of a main'rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions projecting laterally therefrom and extending beneath said main rail, spacer means between said main rail and guard rail, and adjustable means engaging the body portioniof said guard rail between said spacer means for holding said body portion against movement away from said main rail.

6. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions projecting laterally therefrom and extending beneath said main rail, spacer means between said main rail and guard rail, said body portion being sprung toward said main rail, and means between said spacer means for holding said body portion insprung condition.

7. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and having end portions projecting laterally therefrom and extending beneath said main ic-U rail, spacer means between said main rail and guard rail, said body portion being portion toward said main rail between said j 7 points and holding said body portion in said v position.

said main rail, each said end portions having spaced apart abutments located at opposite sides of said main rail, and means engaging a said body portion and holding itin'sprung condition relative to said main rail.

9. In track construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having "a body portion extending alongside said mainfran means at spaced apart points along'said guard rail resisting movement of said guard rail toward said main rail at said points, and means engaging said bodyportion andholding it in sprung condition toward said main rail between said points relativeto said main rail.

10. In track construction, the

means at spaced apart points along said guard rail resisting movement of said guard rail toward said main rail at said points, and adjustable means engaging said body portion and operating, by springing said body portion toward saidmain rail, to hold the latter in the desired spaced relation to said main rail between said points. p Y i r 11. In track-construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail-having a body portion extending alongside said main rail, means at spaced apart points along sald guard rail resisting movement of said guard rail toward said main rail at said points, and adjustable means for springing said body '12. In track construction, the combinatio of a main rail, a guard rail having a-body portion extending alongsidesaid main rail and having portions extending beneath said main rail, means at spaced apart points along said guard rail resisting movement of said guard rail toward said main rail at said 7 points,and means engaging said body portion and holdng it in sprung condition between said points relative to said main rail.

13. Intracl; construction, the combination of a main rail, a guard rail having a body portion extending alongside said main rail and adapted to be sprung, and means engaging said body portion and holding it in sprung condition toward said main rail.

AUGUST ENS TROM.

combination of a maln rail, a guard rail havinga body portion extendlng alongside sald mam rail, 

